ETHICS

CHALLENGES TO GLOBALIZATION
CLIMATE CHANGE

Introduction
Globalization has had a huge impact on our way of life. It has increased communication and
faster access to technology. It has ushered in a new age of economic prosperity, created
massive development channels, and played an essential role in bringing people of different
cultures together. On the other hand, globalization has given rise to several issues, the most
prominent of which is the effects on the environment. Globalization has been a major subject in
environmental discussions, with environmentalists highlighting its far-reaching consequences.
However, as affluence rises, ecological consciousness rises with it, making it the primary
rationale for lowering environmental damage in later phases of economic growth.

Global warming and other environmental issues are becoming exceedingly valuable, and
globalization and the rise of global consumer goods trade are exacerbating the situation. While
the environmental difficulties have been more focused on reducing various forms of diffuse
emissions from various places, including road, sea, aviation, and agriculture, diffuse pollution
spreads over broad regions. On the other hand, it may not be a major source of pollution in and
of itself, but it can have a significant overall impact when combined with other diffuse sources
dealing with these difficulties frequently necessitates international negotiations and burden-
sharing agreements, both of which have proven difficult to achieve.

This challenge is shown by the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently rigorous global climate accord
Humans cannot afford to overlook the repercussions of our actions since the future of the
human species on this planet is so dependent on the environment. To maintain the ecological
balance, humans must make certain efforts. In the present study, there is a lot of debate and
discussion about this topic, and the most important thing is to have solid policies in place and
put them into effect.

Facts: Globalization and The Environment

Greenhouse Gases and Carbon Emissions

Global climate changes most analysis has focused on rapidly rising emissions of carbon dioxide
(CO2) and options for reducing them. Indeed, carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil fuel
combustion, is the principal greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.

However, other greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, and several industrial-
process gases also are important contributors to climate change. From both an environmental
and an economic standpoint, effective climate strategies should address both carbon dioxide
and these other greenhouse gases.

A still more difficult issue is whether and how to compare efforts to control other substances
that affect the radiative balance of the atmosphere, such as tropospheric ozone precursors,
black carbon, and cooling aerosols. The main issue with these substances is that, even though
their climatic effects are important, a more immediate concern is that they cause local and
regional air pollution that affects human health, crop productivity, and ecosystems. Moreover,
their climatic effects are mainly regional, or even local, and this feature creates difficulties for
the use of a single index to represent their effects across the globe. In the end, it is essential to
consider these substances as part of climate policy, but more research and analysis are needed
to quantitatively establish their climate influence and to design policies that take account of
their local and regional pollution effects.

Smart Coconut Agriculture: Sustainable Crop and A Climate Change Solution

Forests and tree plantation crops, such as coconuts, are especially useful as carbon reservoirs
because trees hold on to significantly more carbon per unit area than other types of
vegetation. Coconuts and other perennials are also more resilient to climate change impacts
such as droughts, high winds, and floods.

Regenerative agriculture can reduce this atmospheric carbon through a process called carbon
sequestration. Carbon sequestration is one of the most effective strategies identified for
climate change mitigation. It is the natural process of capturing and absorbing atmospheric
carbon to be used in processes such as photosynthesis; this carbon is stored in plants and the
soil.

Coconut-based ecosystems offer great hope for the enhancement of carbon sequestration
through annual intercropping with effective crop combinations to provide optimal benefits for
the whole system. Scientists have also found that coconut-based mixed cropping systems can
improve microclimatic conditions, influencing air and soil temperature and soil moisture
content of plantations.
Studies show coconut grown in tropical climates will sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide at
an average amount of 50 pounds of carbon dioxide per tree per year.

In conducting photosynthesis to produce nutritional sugars, plant leaves take in carbon dioxide
and give off oxygen. Plant cells need oxygen just as plant cells do. Roots take in oxygen and
dispose of carbon dioxide. Coconut roots make this exchange of gases closer to the surface than
do the roots of most other plants.

Role of the Business Industry

Businesses and industries that operate globally have an incentive to take whatever voluntary
actions they can to reduce the potential for negative consequences. Doing so can not only give
an organization greater control over its initiatives but also be a powerful marketing and
communication tool.

Investing in renewable energy and packaging, embracing responsible land-use management,

and shifting goods production to be closer to the end customer are all viable options businesses
can and should consider. The challenge lies in balancing a desire to embrace corporate social
responsibility with the need to turn a profit and run a successful business.

Note: Infographic made in CANVA

References: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.870271/full;
http://speri.dept.shef.ac.uk/2020/01/27/why-climate-change-is-globalizations-biggest-
challenge-yet/